After leaving the CIA, Barr moved to Georgia, where he practiced law
and became active in the Republican Party,
serving as county chair.[2][14]
Barr made an unsuccessful bid for the Georgia House of
Representatives in 1984.[2]
In 1986 Barr married his third wife, Jerilyn Dobbins,[2][3]
who was later known as Jeri Barr.[5]
Bob Barr's web site stated in 2008 that Jeri and he have four
children and six grandchildren.[5]
It's unclear which, if any, of these children are issue from their
marriage.

Congressional career

Barr sought the Republican Party
nomination for U.S. Senate in 1992, but lost the primary
election to Paul Coverdell.[21]
The primary was very close, with Barr losing by fewer than 1,600
votes in a runoff election.[21]
Subsequently, Coverdell came in behind incumbent Senator Wyche
Fowler, in the general election, but the 3% showing by a
Libertarian candidate (Jim Hudson) forced a runoff, which Coverdell
won.

In Congress, Barr became famous for his "dour" image and told
constituents, "You don't send me to Washington to smile."[14]

Georgia's congressional
districts were reorganized by the Democratic-controlled
Georgia legislature ahead of
the 2002
elections for the 108th Congress.[25]
As part of the legislature's effort to get more Democrats elected
from the state, Barr's district was dismantled even though Georgia
gained two districts. He was drawn into the same district as fellow
Republican John
Linder. The new district was numerically Barr's district—the
7th—but contained most of the territory from Linder's old 11th
District. This move profited Democrats by leading to the inevitable
defeat of an incumbent Republican (i.e., either Barr or
Linder).[26]
Recognizing Barr's precarious situation, the Libertarian Party
seized on the opportunity to oust one of the federal drug
war's most vocal proponents (Barr), and ran TV ads criticizing Barr's
opposition to medical marijuana
during the Republican primaries.[27]
Barr was soundly defeated by a 2-to-1 margin.[27]
The extent to which the issue of medical marijuana shaped the
election is unclear. Some have argued that Barr's huge loss simply
reflected the nature of the new 7th district, which was primarily
redrawn from Linder's old 11th district.[25]
However, before the medical marijuana ads were aired,[27]
the Linder campaign acknowledged the race as being tight;[28]
and Pat Gartland, southeastern director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, saw the race as
"too close to call".[26]

Barr's defeat was applauded by many Democrats and Libertarians.
Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project
called it "glorious news".[29] Ron
Crickenberger, producer of the TV ads, was quick to warn other
supporters of the War
on Drugs:

“

With this victory, we
have fired a warning shot for every drug warrior in Congress to
hear. And any member of Congress — Democrat or
Republican — who introduces legislation to make federal drug
laws even more oppressive could be next on our list.
— Ron Crickenberger, Libertarian Party Political Director,
August 2002[27]

”

However, some individuals within these groups lamented Barr's
defeat as a setback for privacy rights[30] and
libertarian causes in general.[28]
Libertarian J. Bradley Jansen opined:

“

The LP has a historic
opportunity to present itself as a viable alternative to the big
parties, instead of spending its money and energy trying to defeat
one of libertarianism's few friends in Congress just because they
disagree with him on one issue.
— J. Bradley Jansen, vice chair of the Libertarian Party in
the District of Columbia, Liberty (August 2002)[28]

”

As of 2009, Barr has not made any additional bids for a
congressional seat.

War on
drugs

Barr was originally a strong supporter of the War on Drugs,
reflecting his previous experience as an Anti-Drug Coordinator for
the United States
Department of Justice.[7]
While in Congress, he was a member of the Speaker's
Task Force for a Drug-Free America.[32]
This task force was established in 1998 by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich to
"design a World War
II-style victory plan to save America's children from illegal
drugs."[33]
The task force crafted legislation specifically designed to "win
the War on Drugs by 2002".[33]

Barr advocated complete federal prohibition of medical marijuana. In 1998, He successfully
blocked implementation of Initiative 59[34] —
the "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of
1998" — which would have legalized medical marijuana in Washington,
D.C.[35]
The "Barr Amendment" to the 1999 Omnibus spending bill not only
blocked implementation of Initiative 59 but prohibited the vote
tally from even being released.[35][36]
Nearly a year passed before a lawsuit[37]
filed by the American Civil Liberties
Union eventually revealed the initiative had received 69
percent of the vote.[38] In
response to the judge's ruling,[39]
Barr simply attached another "Barr Amendment" to the 2000 Omnibus
spending bill that overturned Initiative 59 outright.[40] The
Barr Amendment also prohibited future laws that would "decrease the
penalties for marijuana or other Schedule I drugs" in Washington, D.C.[41]
This preemptively blocked future attempts by Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
to reform marijuana laws in DC via the initiative process.[41]
In March 2002, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan struck down this
portion of the Barr Amendment as being an unconstitutional
restriction on free speech.[41][42]
Barr's response to the ruling was defiant:

“

Clearly, the court today
has ignored the constitutional right and responsibility of Congress
to pass laws protecting citizens from dangerous and addictive narcotics, and the right of
Congress to exert legislative control over the District of Columbia
as the nation's capital.
— Bob Barr, March 28, 2002[43]

”

The federal government later prevailed on appeal,[44]
reinstating the Barr Amendment just in time to thwart MPP's
initiative 63 -- "The Medical Marijuana Initiative of 2002" --
which had already qualified for the November 2002 ballot.[45][46] In
2009, both the United States Senate and House of Representatives
voted to lift the ban against a medical marijuana initiative,
effectively overturning the Barr Amendment.[47]

Barr would later reverse his position on medical marijuana, joining MPP as a lobbyist five years
later. In a June 4, 2008 interview with Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, Barr confirmed that he
now supports ending marijuana prohibition, as well as the War on
Drugs for which he once vehemently fought.[48] In
2009, he was hired by the MPP to lobby to successfuly overturn the
amendment that he authored.[49]

Same-sex
marriage

Barr took a lead in legislative debate concerning same-sex
marriage. He authored and sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act, a law
enacted in 1996 which states that only marriages that are between a
man and a woman can be federally recognized, and individual states
may choose not to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in
another state.[50] At
the 2008 Libertarian
National Convention, he apologized for the part of the Defense
of Marriage Act which prevents the federal government from
recognizing same-sex marriages.[51]

Terrorism

He voted for the first Patriot Act,[54] but
only after his amendments adding "sunset clauses" were
added to the final bill.[55]
Barr played a similar role during the debate over Bill Clinton's
Comprehensive Anti-terrorism Act of 1995, crafting pro-civil
liberties amendments to the original text.[56] He
now publicly regrets[31]
his Patriot Act vote.[57]

War in
Iraq

In 2002 Barr voted for the Iraq Resolution.[58] He
has since called for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, leaving no permanent military bases. A press
release from Barr's presidential campaign stated: "The next
president should commit to a speedy and complete withdrawal from
Iraq, and tell the Iraqi people that the U.S. troops will be
going home."[59]

Waco
Hearings

Barr has been described as one of the few people able to "ask
effective questions and make clear points" while questioning
government witnesses during the 1995 House Waco siege hearings on
the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Federal Bureau of
Investigation actions against the Branch Davidians
in 1993, sponsored by subcomittees of the House Judiciary Committee
and
Government Reform and Oversight Committee.[62] Barr
has written: "The hearing, was a farce: a virtual lovefest, during
which members of the Clinton Administration responded to softball
questions from their colleagues in the House with superficial
answers, and Republican queries were ignored or glossed over with
disdain, if not outright contempt."[63] Barr
called for Congress to reopen investigations, but senior House
Republicans refused.[64] In
2003 testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
Barr wrote: "[T]here remains time to turn back the constitutional
clock and roll back excessive post-9/11 powers before we turn the
corner into another Japanese internment or,
closer to our own experiences, before we witness a legally
sanctioned Ruby Ridge
or Waco scenario."[65]

After the Lewinsky scandal broke, Barr was the first lawmaker in
either chamber to call for Clinton's resignation.[68]
During debate on the impeachment resolution on the House floor,
Barr argued that Clinton's attempt to interfere with Lewinsky's
testimony in the Paula
Jones case endangered the Constitution. In doing so, Barr said,
Clinton violated what Barr called a "fundamental right" of any
American citizen--"the unshakable right each one of us has to walk
into a courtroom and demand the righting of a wrong."[69]

Controversies
over Barr's personal conduct

In 1999, during Clinton's impeachment trial, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt offered
money to anyone who could provide evidence that a prominent
Republican had engaged in an extramarital affair. According to the
American Journalism
Review,[70]
investigators for Flynt said that Barr was "guilty of king-size
hypocrisy". According to a sworn affidavit by Barr's ex-wife Gail:
Barr (a longtime outspoken opponent of abortion) had acquiesced to and paid for the
termination of his then-wife's pregnancy in 1983. In accordance
with his public offer: Flynt subsequently paid a sum of money to
Gail Barr after she had made her sworn affidavit.[14]
Barr never publicly disputed the contents of his ex-wife's
affidavit. Investigators also reported that Barr invoked a legal
privilege during his 1985 divorce proceeding, so he could refuse to
answer questions on whether he'd cheated on his second wife with
the woman who is now his third."[71]

In the early 1990s, Barr was photographed at a fundraising event
licking whipped cream off of a woman.[72]
According to the Washington Post "Two people who observed
the act say it wasn't exactly a bosom lick but more like a neckline
lick, at the sort of event where business and civic leaders perform
dares to raise money. 'Not exactly Mr. Effusive', says Matt Towery,
the former chairman of Newt Gingrich's political organization, who
observed the brief and awkward licking. 'You can hardly get the guy
to smile'".[73]

Criticism of Bush
Administration

“

A man faithful to the Constitution doesn't stop
criticizing presidents when the
letter after their names change.

Since leaving Congress in 2003, Barr has become a vocal opponent
of the Patriot
Act and has stated that he voted for it reluctantly[14]
and regrets voting for it, only agreeing because the Bush
administration promised not to attempt to expand the granted powers
or use them for non-terrorism purposes, and the administration
agreed to report to Congress on their usage.[74]
Barr says that the Bush administration
promptly ignored these three promises given to Congress and has
used the powers granted from the Patriot Act to further erode due process of law even in matters
unrelated to terrorism.[74]
Barr claims that the Clinton
administration did much of the same thing.[31]
In 2005 — the year the Patriot Act was due for renewal —
Barr helped found an organization called Patriots to Restore Checks
and Balances, a bipartisan group dedicated to eliminating aspects
of the Patriot Act that could potentially affect law-abiding
citizens rather than terrorists, and to "restore traditional checks and balances on government power so
the country can effectively fight terror without sacrificing the
rights of innocent Americans, rights that are guaranteed by the
Constitution."[75] Barr
still serves as the group's chairman.

Libertarian
Party

On December 12, 2006, Barr became a regional representative on
the Libertarian National
Committee, representing the Party's Southeast Region. Barr
said: "I'm happy to announce that I am now a proud, card-carrying
Libertarian who is committed to helping elect leaders who will
strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual
freedom."[11]

Marijuana Policy Project

“

Regarding the drug war, I've been
there, done that, and know firsthand our current strategy is not
working. Continuing to have the federal government run roughshod
over the states, even if the citizens of a state decide they wish
to legalize medicinal marijuana, for example, is wrong.

In Congress, Barr's strong stance against medical marijuana put him at odds with
marijuana policy reformers such as the Marijuana Policy Project
(MPP). Despite this historic antagonism, in March 2007, Barr
reversed his stance on medical marijuana[86]
and began lobbying on behalf of MPP.[87][88]
This new partnership saw Barr working to repeal his very own "Barr
Amendment"[85] —
the amendment[86]
that overturned a voter-approved medical marijuana initiative in
Washington, D.C.[87]
and prohibits consideration of similar initiatives.[89]

Barr has been careful to note that he isn't pro-drug, but rather
against government intrusion.[86]
In interviews he has expressed the nuanced position of
simultaneously opposing legalization, yet advocating the federalist ideals of
State legislation and enforcement over Federal control.[90
][91]

It's very rare to find
someone who's willing to change their position and then be so
public about it. [Barr has] definitely increased the credibility of
the Marijuana Policy Project. People have to take us seriously when
we walk through the door with Bob Barr.
— Rob Kampia,
Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project

”

American
Freedom Agenda

Barr is one of the four founders of the American Freedom Agenda, which
is described as "a coalition established to restore checks and
balances and civil liberties protections under assault by the
executive branch." The American Freedom Agenda has established a
10-point Freedom Pledge for presidential candidates to confirm
their commitment to civil liberties.[92]
He is also a member of the Constitution Project's bipartisan
Liberty and Security Committee.[93]

Barr hosted a political talk radio show on Radio America called
Bob Barr's Laws of the Universe.[100] He
has stated that he plans to write a book with that title.[101]

In August 2008, Barr criticized the United States' response to
the conflict between Russia
and Georgia as being too emotional and
not based on legitimate American national security concerns. He
wrote: "The most important American interest is defending America;
and intervening on behalf of Georgia against Russia has nothing to
do with defending America."[102]

Following his announcement, Rasmussen Reports had Barr polling at
6% nationwide against Barack Obama (42%), John McCain (38%), and Ralph Nader (4%).[111]
The study identified Barr as the Libertarian candidate, but most
voters said they didn't know enough about him to have an opinion of
him personally.[111]
Barr's support in the poll was a net drain on Republicans; he
picked up 7% of the Republican vote, 5% of the Democratic vote, and
5% of the unaffiliated vote.[111]

On May 25, 2008 Barr became the 2008 Libertarian presidential
nominee after six rounds of voting at the 2008 Libertarian
convention. He beat Mary
Ruwart in the final round of voting, with 324 delegates to
Ruwart's 276, with 26 none of the above votes.[112]
Barr had received the endorsement of Wayne Allyn Root, one of his rivals
for the nomination, after Root was eliminated following the fifth
round of balloting. Barr, in turn, endorsed Root for the party's vice presidential
nomination, which he received.

On June 4, 2008, Barr invited the Republican Party's presumptive
presidential nominee, John McCain, and the Democratic Party's
presumptive presidential nominee, Barack Obama, to weekly presidential
debates through an official press release.[113]

Many opinion leaders predicted that Barr could siphon off
conservative votes that would have otherwise gone to McCain. John Linder, who
defeated Barr for the Republican nomination in a 2002 congressional
race, said that Barr could cause serious problems for McCain in
some states.[114]
Barr repeatedly rejected this assertion as scapegoating, responding
that small-government Republicans would not vote for McCain anyway,
nor would civil libertarians vote for Obama.[115]

Barr appeared on the ballot in 45 states.[116] In
July, he filed a lawsuit against Oklahoma for its unusually restrictive ballot access
laws,[117]
which he contends are contrary to the First
Amendment right to petition one's government for a redress of
grievances.[118] In
July, a Zogby poll had Barr receiving 6% of the
vote nationwide, as well as double digits in several states.[119]

A Zogby poll released on August 15,
2008 indicated that most Republican and Democratic voters wanted
Barr to be included in the presidential debates. The poll also
indicated that almost 70% of independent voters would have liked to
see him included.[120]

On September 17, 2008 Barr filed suit in Texas to remove both McCain and Obama from the
ballot. Both political parties failed to file their nominees by the
deadline.[121] On
September 23, 2008 the Texas Supreme Court rejected the request
without giving a reason for its decision.[122]

On November 4, 2008 Barr received 523,686 votes, 0.4% of the
national vote [124]
This was the second highest number of votes nationwide that a
Libertarian Party presidential candidate has received.[125]

^ abcdefBarr,
Bob (1996). "Congressman Bob Barr". Profiles in
Character: The Values That Made America. Members of the 1994
Class of the United States Congress. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
pp. 1–2. ISBN
0-7852-7356-5.

^
Gail Barr's 1999 afffidavit states their eldest son was three years
old in March 1983, implying a birthday range of about April 1979 to
March 1980. Bob Barr states their eldest son is 18 years old during
his January 1999 Larry King Live interview, which
implies a birthday range of February 1980 to January 1981. The
overlap between these two statements suggests the eldest was born
in either February or March 1980.

Sourced

A print of the painting, 'The Prayer At Valley Forge,'
depicting George Washington on bended knee, praying in the hard
snow at Valley Forge, hangs over the desk in my office. If the
practice of witchcraft, such as is allowed now at Fort Hood, is
permitted to stand, one wonders what paintings will grace the walls
of future generations

...there remains time to turn back the constitutional clock and
roll back excessive post-9/11 powers before we turn the corner into
another Japanese internment or, closer to our own experiences,
before we witness a legally sanctioned Ruby Ridge or Waco
scenario.

Testimony Submitted to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on
America Post-9/11, November 18, 2003[4]

Defending the Constitution is always important. That duty is
even more vital today, when the president and top administration
officials argue that the executive branch may break the law
whenever the president deems it to be necessary in a time which he
declares to be wartime.

Barr is known as one of the leaders of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.[8] Barr joined the Libertarian Party in 2006,[10]
and until May 2008[needs proof] served on its National Committee.[11]

↑ 5.05.1 Barr, Bob [1996]. "Congressman Bob Barr", Profiles in Character: The Values That Made America, Members of the 1994 Class of the United States Congress, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1-2. ISBN 0-7852-7356-5.